The BVU Computer Science department hosted its first-ever "Capture the Flag" hacking challenge on April 19. As part of the 24-hour challenge, each team of students defended their own virtual server while trying to infiltrate other teams’ servers to steal sensitive data.

The winning team included Ghislain Twagirayezu, a freshman computer science major from Kigali, Rwanda; Tyler Klobassa, a junior computer science – information technology major from Nashua; and Eric Rodine, a senior computer science and criminal justice double major from Kearney, Neb.

"Just like structural engineers bear responsibility for the bridges, buildings, cars, and planes they design, software engineers have a responsibility to create reliable and robust systems that protect the individuals they serve," says Dr. Nathan Backman, assistant professor of computer science. "There will always be hackers in the world with a malicious intent and our students must be prepared to be on the defensive and know what strategies and tactics the offensive will utilize."